How Long Does It Take to Eat $23.40 Worth of Junk Food?

It took me 2 days (the weekend) to eat the $23.40 worth of junky food I bought in a “I don’t care and it’s too hard” fit I had Saturday morning after yet another week of the scale not budging downward.

I decided I had to have:

- a 6 pack of heavily frosted bakery cupcakes
- a 6 pack of full octane sugar loaded Pepsi
- a bag of the puffy Cheetos
- a bag of Parmesan and garlic potato chips
- a box of Caramel nips
- 2 bakery sub rolls (slathered them with full fat peanut butter)
- a bag of Cadbury mini candy coated chocolate eggs
- a bottle of corn syrup so I could make some homemade caramel popcorn
- (and almost bought a Woman’s World magazine because of an article about losing up to 40 pounds in a month….but nah….didn’t want to think about calories, dieting or about anything remotely similar)

I didn’t quite eat it all though (this is my pathetic attempt to make my binge seem like it wasn’t so bad even though we both know it was). There’s still a half bag of Cheetos left that I’m going to have my husband foist on his co-workers tomorrow along with the 2 sandwiches baggies of homemade caramel popcorn that I didn’t inhale. And, I put 3 of the cupcakes on the counter for my husband to devour (didn’t want the chocolate ones with the chocolate frosting cuz I only wanted the chocolate cake with white frosting ones- and don’t ask me why I decided to be picky that one thing because I don’t know).

What did that $23.40 I spent get me?

-A weekend that passed in a blur because I was in a food “zone out.”
-Two nights of tossing and turning because my stomach was upset (go figure).
-Orange stained fingertips from the “cheese” on the Cheetos
-A scale that finally budged! I gained 4 pounds.
-A newly found level of self-loathing

On the up side, when I stopped at the grocery store yesterday to pick up milk I also visited the produce aisle for vegetables and fruit which I actually ate instead of just putting them in the refrigerator and letting them go bad.

What did I learn (hopefully something, right)?

I learned that food doesn’t solve anything except hunger.

I already knew that in the tiny, sensible part of my brain. My problem is that I let the vastly larger emotional part take over way too often.

Now if I can just figure out to stay sane and sensible when my emotions are running rampant………

When Discouraged Look For the Reason

Are you discouraged about your weight loss or lack thereof?

Sometimes I’m discouraged and frustrated by my lack of weight loss progress 12 times a day!

When those lows hit I do my best to remember great advice I received from my former Weight Watchers leader. She always told me, “Look for the reason why you’re discouraged so you can deal with it and change it.”

I’ve been discouraged for the past 8 months by my lack of progress so I guess it’s time for me to be brave enough to think about why I’m not doing what I need to do to continue to lose weight.

I know I can’t stop fighting the fight or I’ll be right back where I was 3 years ago when I weighed 286 pounds and was unable to walk up a flight of steps without huffing and puffing like an exhausted elephant.

So here’s to actually making use of that great advice to, “look for the reason why I’m discouraged so I can deal with it and change it.”

Fast Food Fish Sandwich Comparison

Today was one of those crazy days where I barely had time to grab a banana before walking out the door, which combined with the single serve bag of almonds I keep in my purse kept my stomach gremlins at bay for most of the morning.

But by 12:30 I was starving and literally had 9 minutes to grab a bite to eat before picking up my Mom from dialysis and getting her to a doctor’s appointment.

Fast food was definitely on my mind. A regular burger from McDonald’s would have been my “in a hurry go to” fast food choice at 250 calories but it’s Friday, it’s Lent, and I’m Catholic so that means no meat.

A salad would have been a righteous choice, but I didn’t have enough time to eat one. mcdonalds filet of fish

So a fish sandwich it was. After a quick debate about which one was likely to be the least damaging to my diet (I’m well aware that a deep fried fish sandwich is not exactly diet fare or anything resembling healthy eating) I decided on McDonald’s filet of fish (despite absolutely hating their fish on the wall commercial saying “give me that filet of fish”) because:
A) it’s the smallest fish I’m aware of and hence should have the fewest calories

B) McDonald’s was right on my way and extremely convenient

So in the backwards fashion of figuring out the calories of what I ate, after I ate it and not before I decided to see not only how many calories are in the fish sandwich I ate (I get a little “calorie credit” for taking a napkin and wiping off most of the huge glob of tartar sauce on top of it) but also in the other choices I could have made.

FAST FOOD FISH SANDWICH FACTS/COMPARISON

MCDONALD’S FILET OF FISH:

Calories: 380
Fat: 18 grams
Sodium: 540 mg

CULVERS COD FILET SANDWICH:
Calories: 663
Fat: 41 grams
Sodium: 979 mg

BURGER KING BIG FISH SANDWICH:
Calories: 640
Fat: 32 grams
Sodium: 1370 mg

HARDEES FISH SUPREME SANDWICH:
Calories: 630 calories
Fat: 38 grams
Sodium: 1310 mg

KFC FISH SNACKER SANDWICH:

Calories: 320
Fat: 14 grams
Sodium: 640 mg
(Darn! My choice of McDonalds was the best choice until this one although I don’t really consider this much of a sandwich because it’s so tiny)

I think I did okay. My lunch was a reasonable 380 calories although that little sandwich sure had a ton of sodium in it.

My First Bike Ride of 2010

I dusted off my bicycle this morning and took it out for its first ride in 2010.

Note to self: next time I decide to ride my bicycle in March when its barely 40 degrees WEAR GLOVES! I nearly froze my fingers off. Granted I had my bike gloves on, but fingerless gloves don’t do a lot when its cold, overcast and damp (yes, I’m whining). trek comfort bike

My nose and cheeks got pretty cold too, but it felt so good to be out in the fresh air and in weather that is mild compared to the last several months of nearly constant snow and temps that only occasionally got above freezing.

I might have pushed the urge to ride a little bit since only 5 miles of the paved trail I was on was clear. The rest of it was too snow covered and slushy for my bike tires to handle.

Not that I could have ridden a whole lot further than 5 miles today. My legs could have handled it but my butt definitely has to “toughen up” again and get used to sitting on a bike seat.

Maybe I should have doubled up and wore both pairs of my padded bike shorts….even though people would have probably stared at my extra huge marshmallow butt when I walked into the coffee shop for my yummy pre-ride mocha latte (skim milk, no whipped cream and 4 shots of caffeine laden espresso please).

Next planned bike ride is in 2 days. Temps are supposed be near 50 which would be awesome, but fog and rain may put the “kibbosh” on it.

I am determined to get out and ride at least 2 times a week this month though, because my goal this year is to graduate to a faster (and cuter) bike and to go on at least one “50 miles all in the same day” bike ride.

And not that this has anything to do with bike riding or weight loss, but to the guy who was walking on the side of the road this morning while I was driving to the coffee shop for that aforementioned pre-ride coffee: “It’s really not super smart to walk on the side of a busy country road wearing dark clothes, talking on a cell phone and constantly looking down at your feet when it us FOGGY unless you want to hit by a car!”

Do you have any bicycle riding plans this year?

My Favorite Birthday Cake!

Today is my birthday!

That means I get to have BIRTHDAY CAKE!

Ever since I can remember I’ve requested the same cake for my birthday – angel food cake. As a kid I didn’t care that it was fat free and a low calorie dessert. I just liked its name (probably because “angel” was my Mom’s nickname for me but it was probably my nickname only because she couldn’t find a mug with my given name on it – too unique – and I had to have a “name” mug because my brother had one!). Oh, and I loved how the cake tasted – so light and airy!

Back in those days the cake had to be coated with 2 cans of cherry frosting to be sure it had the desired level of sugar loaded goodness (yep – more than made up for the low calories in the cake with the high calorie frosting I wanted smeared all over it to the point of the light cake sagging from the weight of all the frosting).

It was SUPER YUMMY!!!

Now that I’m a grown up and definitely do not need the gobs of corn syrup, saturated fat, and sheer number of calories (70 for 1 measly tablespoon) in packaged cherry frosting (can’t say “canned” anymore because it now comes in a plastic container) I opt for a more figure friendly topping. Plus, the cherry frosting in the store these days doesn’t taste as good as I remember from when I was a kid. These days it tastes like a gob of corn sweetened vegetable shortening with a chemical aftertaste – definitely not birthday cake worthy! angel food cake recipe

My birthday cake today (there better be one and it definitely better be angel food!) will get topped with a dollop of real whipped cream (yes it’s loaded with fat but I don’t eat it every day and I can have 2 tablespoons for 50 calories), and some fresh raspberries (or raspberry sauce made with frozen raspberries and a little bit of sugar since it’s a “hit or miss” proposition when it comes to finding fresh raspberries in the store in March).

I can hardly wait for the cake (and there might even be a present or two for me!).

What’s your favorite birthday cake?

Stress Eating

Know anybody who can’t eat a bite when they are stressed? Unfortunately that’s not me. Food is my emotional crutch even when my stomach is rebelling.

Yesterday I got sick from something I ate (won’t gross you out with the details but it wasn’t pretty) and even though my stomach was in no shape to take in any food I wanted to eat anyway.

I sat in my living room last night wanting to go get food because I was upset over some stuff going on in my life but yet I knew if I ate even one bite it wasn’t going to stay down.

I had a big inner fight with myself to not put food in my mouth. I did my best to keep my hands busy by knitting but I walked into the kitchen 5 times to look at possible food choices although common sense eventually prevailed each time and I left without stuffing anything in my face.

This morning I’m still not feeling great and the 2 strawberries I ate are sitting in my stomach like a lump of clay so it’s definitely not time to try and eat anything else even though they’re the best strawberries I’ve had since last summer!

To keep myself busy I planted some flower and vegetable seeds in my indoor greenhouse, read a few pages in my latest book from the library (The Brightest Star in the Sky by Marian Keyes), did some laundry, watched some television (a cooking show – not a smart idea when I’m trying to not think about food until my stomach settles down!), and am now writing this blog post (yet another activity that is reminding me of food – will I ever learn?). Been also thinking about going for a walk but haven’t gotten up the ambition to do it yet.

I could really use some suggestions on what to do when stress is high. Last night and this morning have made me realize that the only way I know how to deal with stress is by eating and I can’t continue to do that if I ever hope to get this excess weight off.

Suggestions?

Sometimes It’s a Good Idea to Skip The Salad

I used to be one of those people that would order a salad for my meal whenever I went out, thinking that it was always the healthiest choice on the menu. Then I got educated and found out a salad can be one of the highest calorie and fat items on the entire menu and that I would have consumed less calories by ordering a steak or a burger (with potatoes!).

I was such a fool! I could have been eating what I really wanted instead of feeling (and acting like a martyr) because I was being “good” and ordering a “healthy” salad. I guess the joke was on me; specifically on my more than generous thighs.

What makes some of those restaurant salads such a horrible choice? The breaded and deep fried chicken, copious amounts of cheese, hundreds of calories worth of dressing, the bacon, the croutons (the most delicious ones are those that have been deep fried), the crunchy won-ton strips or tortilla strips or fried noodles, nuts (healthy but the calories add up quickly), avocado (also healthy but calorie dense), and those delicious flour tortilla shell bowls that you can eat right along with the taco salad that’s tucked inside it (sure you could just eat the salad inside the bowl and skip that delicious, and often deep fried tortilla bowl, but who does that?).

Our salads have morphed from a heaping helping of healthy greens with a small portion of dressing to gigantic tossed meals that have gobs of fat and calories lurking among those good for us greens.

That’s not to say a salad can’t be a healthy choice in a restaurant. Grilled chicken is obviously a better choice than deep fried chicken but it can taste so bland. Marinated grilled shrimp grilled steak, or blackened salmon are much tastier options in my opinion.

And obviously ask for salad dressing on the side and use it sparingly since full fat dressings (the best tasting ones) can easily have 100 calories in a tablespoon.

If at all possible, avoid the 6 worst salads in America from Eat This, Not That! 2010 which are: Quizno’s Honey Mustard Chicken Regular Chopped Salad; Roman’s Macaroni Grill Parmesan Crusted Chicken Salad; Chili’s Quesadilla Explosion Salad; Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad with Oriental Vinaigrette; Cheesecake Factory Caesar Salad with Chicken; and California Pizza Kitchen Waldorf Chicken Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing.

applebees oriental chicken salad

The salad I’m most sad to see on the list is Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad with Oriental Vinaigrette. I love that salad! But at over 1,400 calories it’s not exactly “a light and healthy option). When I’m really hungry for it, I order it in the “small size” and get the dressing on the side. But, I NEVER order it when I’m really hungry because the small version of the salad isn’t enough food to fill me up and I end up ordering a super unhealthy dessert!

Acupuncture Update

It’s been a month since I started getting acupuncture to help with my headaches and with my food cravings.

I haven’t noticed any change for the better in the past week, but that might be due to the extreme stress I’ve been under (the big “C” for a family member). I feel like everything in my life is out of whack so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that it feels like the acupuncture hasn’t done anything this week.

I’ve reached for food for comfort this week but it hasn’t provided any comfort, just a stomachache. So maybe the acupuncture is helping because my body isn’t thrilled by the food I’m shoving into it. I’m just so upset that I’m ignoring my body’s signals (stupid of me).

Plus I know I can’t expect huge changes every time I go in for a treatment. It’s not like taking an aspirin that starts to work in minutes. Acupuncture is a much slower form of healing and takes patience (something I’ve never had a huge supply of).

I’m not giving up yet. I’ll keep at the treatments for a couple more weeks and see what happens.

I just wish the needles in the ears wouldn’t hurt so much! One of them that went in today hurt so bad!!!! Maybe I should numb my ears with ice cubes before I go in for my next treatment…..

Reward Your Weight Loss Efforts With Flowers

Most of us know losing weight is hard work and for every personal milestone we reach, a celebration or treat is in order. Instead of reaching for food, treat yourself to some flowers!

You deserve it!

While someone I know was working hard to lose weight, she bought flowers for herself every week that she lost weight.

She didn’t go broke doing it either. She bought herself inexpensive bouquets at the supermarket. Then she took them home, put them in a vase, and kept them on the counter in her kitchen so she would be reminded of her weight loss accomplishments every time she walked into the kitchen. The flowers kept her from mindlessly putting into her mouth more than once.

So the next time you reach a weight loss goal, whether its 5 pounds or .5 pounds, buy flowers for yourself!

The Top Ten Reasons To Not Exercise

My Top Ten reasons to not exercise….and why I’ll never use them again.

1) I Don’t Have Time

2) I’m Tired

3) I Don’t Feel Good

4) It’s Too Early

4) It’s Too Late

5) It’s Too Hot Outside

6) It’s Too Cold Outside

7) I Have a Headache

8) I Don’t Feel Like It

9) I’m Too Fat and Out of Shape To Go To The Gym

10) I HATE Exercising

I’ve used all those reasons many many many times – sometimes in combination (example: “I’m too tired to go for a walk and it’s too cold out anyway”).

But…..

I WILL NEVER USE THOSE EXCUSES AGAIN!!!

Why?

Last week at my weight management class we had someone who achieved her weight loss goals.  She didn’t give up and she didn’t quit even though while trying to lose weight she dealt fractured a bone in her hip (kept on eating healthy and did chair exercises every day while her hip was healing); and then found out she had the big “C” – Cancer and is now taking experimental drugs to try and stop those damn cancer cells from destroying her body.

Either of those two things would have caused me to have a major pity party that featured lots of chocolate, pizza and chips.  And I know I would have been too busy feeling sorry for myself to exercise.

But listening to her say how giving up has never an option for her, no matter what, made me realize how lucky am I to be as healthy as I am and that I’ve been nothing but a whiny baby.

I vowed then and there to stop using stupid excuses to not exercise and take care of myself.

Even though that happened less than a week ago, I’ve been “tested” in my resolve.  I found out my Dad likely has the big “C” too although we won’t know for sure until he has more tests this week.  The day I found out I wanted to sit on a park bench and cry rather than take my planned 2 mile walk around the park, but I remembered my vow and did the walk (but only after a lot of fighting with myself because a big part of me really didn’t want to do it).  I also almost tossed my healthy lunch in the back of my vehicle in favor of a bacon burger with fries with a turtle sundae on the side because I wanted comfort and something to take away the emotional pain I was feeling, even if it only lasted a couple minutes.  And a big fat juicy burger with greasy fries and a giant sundae are my idea of comfort food.  But I didn’t.  I managed to let myself feel the pain, which is a new experience for me because I’ve always used food as a way to deal with unpleasant things in my life.

The result of not giving in to a food pig out?  I’m still on track with my weight loss and exercise program.  It’s a hard fight with myself to not give into the comfort food, a fight I”m having with myself about 50 times a day but I think I’m finally really realizing that overeating doesn’t solve anything and won’t fix all the “bad” things that happen.

The exercise?  I’m finally seeing how it helps relieve stress.  A vigorous walk or workout relieves some of that pain and built up tension.  I never really believed it was possible but it’s actually kind of amazing how much it helps.

How about you?  Are you ready to vow to not give up with your exercise and/or weight loss program – no matter what?